1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for and method of managing jobs for operation of an external apparatus and/or the processing of digital information.
2. Description of the Background Art
For efficiency of given operations (manufacture and processing, assembly, transport, and the like, which are referred to hereinafter as xe2x80x9cjobsxe2x80x9d) of a variety of apparatuses (manufacturing apparatuses, (e.g., automatic lathes, milling machines, NC machine tools, printing machines, post-printing machines, various plate making equipment, various semiconductor fabricating apparatuses), robots, transport equipment, and the like) for use in various industries (printing and plate making, machine, electric, chemical and metal industries and the like), it has been customary to use a technique for managing jobs to be provided to the apparatuses in a centralized manner.
In the technique, all pieces of information on a job (referred to hereinafter as xe2x80x9cjob informationxe2x80x9d) to be given to at least one apparatus are previously inputted to a predetermined management part (referred to hereinafter as a xe2x80x9cjob management partxe2x80x9d). Alternatively, an operator that has collected pieces of job information assigns jobs and seizes job handling states in respective apparatuses.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional system for managing jobs to be processed by apparatuses. Referring to FIG. 1, a plurality of apparatuses 903 are connected to a job management part 901 which in turn is connected to a LAN 902. With such an arrangement, the single job management part 901 is adapted to manage the operations and states of the plurality of apparatuses 903 arranged, for example, in a particular area within a factory in a centralized manner. Specifically, pieces of job information to be processed by the apparatuses 903 are provided from the LAN 902 to the job management part 901, and the job management part 901 then provides the pieces of job information to the apparatuses 903 after performing computations about which pieces of job information are to be provided to which apparatuses.
There may often be cases where the operations and processing of these apparatuses are not directly controlled by the pieces of job information. For example, a CAD (computer aided design) system, a simulation system, a design system in the printing industry, a digital computation system, and the like are connected in between in many cases to previously process digital information based on the pieces of job information prior to the processing of external apparatuses.
In a plate making system, for example, digital information including image data and character data handled by the design system is sometimes converted into digital information such as raster data that a plate making apparatus is capable of directly handling, before the plate making apparatus makes printing plates. In a processing system, digital information including processing configuration data handled by the CAD system is sometimes converted into processing procedure data that a processing apparatus is capable of handling, before the processing apparatus initiates the processing.
In this manner, the information represented by the pieces of job information are often not only information about physical or chemical processing handled by the apparatuses but also a mixture of such physical or chemical processing information and information about digital processing. Additionally, the materials to be handled are only digital materials in some cases.
FIG. 2 is shows another conventional system for managing jobs to be processed by apparatuses. Referring to FIG. 2, a plurality of combinations of digital information processing parts 904 and apparatuses 903 are connected to the job management part 901 which in turn is connected to the LAN 902. Digital information processed by the digital information processing parts 904 in accordance with the pieces of job information provided from the job management part 901 is used for processing operations in the apparatuses 903. With such an arrangement, the single job management part 901 is adapted to manage the operations and states of the plurality of digital information processing parts 903 and the plurality of apparatuses 904 in a centralized manner.
The centralized management of the apparatuses 903 and the digital information processing parts 904 is originally intended for efficient processing of the jobs. Thus, the job management part 901 must judge for which processing part and apparatus the processing of a job provided from the LAN 902 is suitable, how long it takes to process a job, and whether or not processing is planned to be completed by a delivery date. For strict productivity improvement, the job management part 901 also must seize the costs required for an apparatus to process a job currently awaiting processing.
In such cases, with recent technological enhancement and the increase in complexity of digital information and devices, it has become difficult for the job management part 901 to individually manage a huge amount of complicated job information. Specifically, it takes much time to make all of the judgements through the calculations of the job management part 901 which is a computer system, or the calculations themselves become impossible. This results in the increase in time required for the job management part 901 to notify the apparatuses 903 and the processing parts 904 about job processing and to manage the processing states of the jobs, causing the job management part 901 to become incapable of providing directions about suitable job processing at times conforming to the job processing speeds in the apparatuses 903 and the processing parts 904. In other cases, the job management part 901 must omit parts of the contents to be originally calculated to determine the directions and judgements on the job processing for the purpose of providing directions about the job processing in accordance with the job processing speeds in the apparatuses 903. Suitable job management is impossible, particularly if the jobs are managed by a human operator in place of the job management part which is a computer.
Thus, the centralized job management, which is originally intended for productivity improvement, produces wasted time for which a job processing side waits for directions from the job management part or the operator in practice, resulting in the decrease in production efficiency.
The present invention is intended for a system for managing pieces of job information. According to the present invention, the system comprises: a first sub-system comprising an input management part for inputting and storing a first group of pieces of job information; and a second sub-system coupled to the first sub-system through a network connection and comprising a job-handling management part for handling a second group of pieces of job information, wherein the job-handling management part comprises select means for selecting the second group of pieces of job information among the first group of pieces of job information.
The present invention may reduce the burdens on the input management part and efficiently handle pieces of job information.
Further, according to one aspect of the present invention, the second sub-system comprises a plurality of job-handling management parts. According to another aspect of the present invention, the first sub-system comprises a plurality of input management parts.
Additionally, according to still another aspect of the present invention, the job-handling management part further comprises a controller for controlling an external apparatus in accordance with the second group of pieces of job information, the external apparatus being provided out of the second sub-system; and the select means comprises: capturing means for capturing an objective piece of job information representing an objective job which has not been handled among the first group of pieces of job information; and evaluation means for checking whether the external apparatus is operable in accordance with the objective piece of job information or not. This allows the external apparatus to efficiently operate.
Further, according to another aspect of the present invention, the job-handling management part further comprises: scheduling table memory means on which an operation schedule of the external apparatus is stored in the form of a scheduling table; and registering means for registering the objective piece of job information on the scheduling table when it is concluded that the external apparatus is operable in accordance with the objective piece of job information, to thereby obtain the second group of pieces of job information on the schedule table. This provides the schedule management of the external apparatus.
Additionally, according to another aspect of the present invention, the job-handling management part further comprises an application controller for controlling execution of application processing, to thereby process digital data in accordance with the second group of pieces of job information; and the select means comprises: capturing means for capturing an objective piece of job information representing an objective job which has not been handled among the first group of pieces of job information; and evaluation means for checking whether the application processing can be executed in accordance with the objective piece of job information or not. This achieves the efficient processing of digital information.
Further, according to another aspect of the present invention, the job-handling management part further comprises: scheduling table memory means on which a schedule of the application processing is stored in the form of a scheduling table; and registering means for registering the objective piece of job information on the scheduling table if the application processing can be executed in accordance with the objective piece of job information, to thereby obtain the second group of pieces of job information. This provides the schedule management of the processing of digital information.
The present invention may be applied to the processing of digital information and the management of pieces of job information for the use of the processed digital information in the external apparatus.
Furthermore, according to another aspect of the present invention, a system for managing pieces of job information comprises: scheduling table memory means for storing a scheduling table defining a schedule for handling pieces of job information; capturing means for capturing a piece of job information among the pieces of job information to determine a captured piece of job information; evaluation means for evaluating whether or not the captured piece of job information can be handled by available job-handling resources; and registering means for registering the captured piece of job information on the scheduling table when it is concluded that the captured piece of job information can be handled by the available job-handling resources. This eliminates the need to judge the properness of the pieces of job information when inputted.
The present invention is also intended for a method of efficiently managing pieces of job information and for recording medium(s) on which programs achieving the efficient management of pieces of job information are recorded.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a system and the like which reduces a burden of judgment processing upon a job management part and an operator to ensure well-planned job processing.